The Boy with the Golden Fists
by Josephus Prime
Summary: A boy with a strange power comes to the village. But is this power a gift or a curse? Please Review! It lets me know people are actually reading my work.
1. Prologue

"I advise you to move out of my way."

The head bandit roared with derisive laughter at the robed boy who stood in front of him and his men. Some five foot eleven twerp was ordering HIM around!? "I don't think so punk! Now, hand over ally our valuables and we may let you leave with a few limbs!" He and the gang laughed. All this time the robe remained still. It was tan and covered with strange symmetrical dark brown runes. He held his gloved hands behind his back, but one of his dark black combat boots was tapping impatiently. The hood of the robe covered the face of the inhabitant save for a single strand of black hair that poked out from under the hood.

"Again," the hood said in a cold voice that betrayed only a sliver of annoyance, "Your proposal is rejected. Now move so I can pass." One of the thugs sneered at him as he sharpened his knife. "Yeah yeah, monk boy. Now hand over whoever's in that pouch or we'll-"

"_What _did you just call me??" Now his voice had some emotion in it. Anger. His boot stopped tapping and his hands clenched into fists behind his back.

"Ha ha! You heard me! I called you a mo-"

"**GOLDEN SHOT!"** The bandit was sent flying into a tree as a blast of golden light collided with his chest. He fell to the ground, unmoving in a clump of leaves and branches.

The Lead bandit was seriously unnerved. "Wha-what the hell!?" he looked back at the hooded boy. His right fist was outstretched, and left brought back as if he was ready to fire again. "D-Doku, sick em!" The largest band it shook slightly.

"Uh…uh a-alright boss!" He charged, raising his fists and yelling. The boy in the robe took up a martial arts stance.

This would take up only a short time.

Unfortunately, he only had a short time left.


	2. Chapter 1

Tsunade, The great and powerful legendary Slug Sannin and the Sixth Hokage of The Village hidden in the leaves…groaned.

She honestly couldn't stand any more paper work. File this, sign that, approve this, deny that…it was all too hectic. But of course, she always had her special stash…

She giggled slightly as she unlocked a secret compartment in her desk in which she kept a cool bottle of Sake. She silently slipped the bottle out and was about to pour herself a cup when-

SLAM! "LADY TSUNADE, WE HAVE AN EMERGENCY!!"

"YAAAGH!!" Tsunade hollered as she jumped when her door was suddenly thrown open. In her surprise, her sake bottle was sent flying.

Right. Towards. The door."

"IEEEEE!!" Crash!!" drip….drip…drip…"_Lady Tsunade_…" her brown haired assistant said through clenched teeth, her head covered in sake.

The sannin tried to laugh it off as if it were a joke. "Um-ah-uh Shizune! What a surprise! Heh heh! Umm….good thing you ducked, am I right?" She chuckled awkwardly as Shizune's anger flared.

"Lady Hokage, we have no time for this!" Tsunade blinked. Was something so urgent as for Shizune not to give her a lecture? "And no, you are NOT getting out of a lecture, ma'am!" Crud.

"Well, what is it?" Shizune slapped a small folder on her desk.

"Look at this medical report!" Tsunade opened it curiously, read for a few moments,…and blanched.

"Oh Sweet Kami…" she muttered silently.

"I think we need to bring in whoever or WHATever did this in, ma'am!"

"Call in Asuma's Team, Now!" Tsunade yelled with urgency.

"Ma'am!? They're only genin!! Whatever did this-"

"Asuma's team is best equipped to capture someone like this. Besides, notice something?" She pressed her finger to the title.

Shizune blinked. "Tsunade…It says medical report."

"Exactly!" Shizune blinked. Was her sensei losing it? "It would be unsafe to send them if it said Autopsy, now wouldn't it?"

Realization dawned on Shizune's face. "Oh, I get it! You're saying that whoever did this isn't a killer?"

"Well," Tsunade looked at the report again, "From the looks of this, I'd say he's a mauler instead. Get Asuma's team up here now!"

* * *

"AAAAAUGH!!" I'm so bored!!"

Shikamaru Nara sighed. Ino Yamanaka, the girl of the new Ino-Shika-Cho trio, was never very good with sitting around. She always had to be out and about, and waiting in front of Choji's house for their sensei to arrive. Choji, on the other hand, was pretty happy to just sit around and munch on chips whiel Shikamaru tired to nap.

"WHY IS ASUMA-SENSEI SO DAMN LATE!?"

Emphasis on 'Tried'. "Ino, will you calm down?? Sensei will be here soon." He reclined once more on the bench in front the house. "Just relax and wait for him to show up."

"Relax!? That's easy for you to say! We probably are gonna do some stupid D-rank again!"

"Actually, you guys are gonna get your first B-ranker." They all blinked and looked up. On the roof stood a smoking man with a mustache-less beard.

"Asuma-Sensei! About time! You're not gonna end up like Kakashi sensei, are you??"

The young Sarutobi chuckled. "Nope. I just had to drop by the Hokage tower and grab the reports you'll need."

Shikamaru blinked. "Reports?? Aw man, what a drag. We don't have to do paperwork do we?" Their sensei laughed.

"Read this over, my boy." He tossed him the folder. "See what you're up against." Shikamaru opened it. AS he did, his teammates gathered around him. They scanned the page for a few moments.

Then, as one, their eyes went wide.

The reactions varied. Ino was speechless, for the first time in her life. Choji spit out his chips and did a double take. And Shikamaru's jaw dropped and a slight drop of sweat fell from his temple.

Ino was the first to recover.

"Kami Almighty…," Ino muttered silently before she looked back up at her sensei, and said, in a much louder voice, "What are we up against, a psycho or a rabid tiger!?" Their teacher shrugged.

"Maybe both." He said nonchalantly.

"Wait…" Choji spoke up. "These papers say that the victims are bandits. Why are we helping them!?"

"Because what ever did this is heading for us." Shikamaru stated matter-of-factly. "According to one of the testimonies, the person, who ever it was, asked for directions to our village."

Ino was shocked. "And they gave him some!?"

"Well, Whaddya expect? They're bandits. Lowlifes. They have no ties to Konoha. They just didn't want to die."

"Okay Shikamaru, you got me there, but how are gonna catch him? I mean, he might do worse to us!"

Shikamaru was silent for a minute as he considered the page.

"Actually, I think we might be okay."

"HUH!?"

He motioned to where it said medical report. "If this said 'Autopsy report', I'd be worried. But it doesn't. He showed them mercy. Meaning…"

Choji was the first to get it. "Oh! It means he's not a killer!"

"Right." Said Shikamaru, "And I think we can use that against him." He looked up at Ino. "Mind playing the damsel in distress?"

"Hmph!" She pouted. "It's a waste of my skills, But whatever."

"Good." Shikamaru stood up. "Let's go catch this guy!" He looked up to his sensei as he smirked. "Permission to move out sir?"

Asuma returned it. "Permission granted. Squad 8, let's move out!"


	3. Chapter 2

A shadow passed through the trees without a sound, wit only the brushing of leaves on the wind to signify any movement. The cloaked boy shot through the trees at near-ninja-like speeds. He was used to jumping around like this. He usually more acrobatic stunts in the city, dodging the authorities with his frien-

No. Those times were gone. Focus on the objective.

He shook the feeling away and continued on.

* * *

"Shikamaru, I hate you."

_Kssh._ '_Well, it had to look authentic.' _

"You Didn't have to drop a branch on me!!"

_Kssh. 'Guys, he's coming!"_

_Kssh. 'Okay, Ino. Showtime.'_

"Roger. You so owe me."

* * *

"Heeeelllp…."

The cloaked boy stopped. Had someone just moaned? He looked around. And then down.

There was a beautiful blonde girl trapped under a large branch at the foot of the tree. He blinked. Either she was in trouble or that was some seriously good acting.

'Heelllp….somebody…'

He sighed softly. Damn his infernal mercy.

Ino softly whimpered, closing her eyes gently, giving the illusion that she was seriously hurt.

She softly opened them again.

And found her target standing before her. He was dressed in a strange robe. She could not see his face for the hood, but she could feel his gaze upon her. Then he spoke.

"Do you require aid?"

She coughed to give the illusion of pain. His voice…it was mesmerizing… "I-I….F-fell…"

"Obviously." He crossed his arms. "How may I be of assistance?"

"Br-branch…"

* * *

He picked up the branch with one hand and tossed it away. 'Wow…he must be strong. Asuma even strained a bit carrying that thing.'

* * *

A glint of light caught his eye as he tossed the branch away. He looked down. She wore a belt with a strange engraving. 'A leaf ninja headband…'

* * *

"Can you move?" He spoke in that emotionless voice of his.

"N-n…No…"

"Hm" He turned around and crouched. "Get on."

"H-huh?"

* * *

"You heard me." Gently she wrapped her arms around his neck. He grasped her legs gently, in case she was hurt. 'She is quite an extraordinary beauty. Wait, wait, shake it off. Focus.' This girl was quite distracting. "Now hang on." With that said another word he leapt into the trees.

* * *

"W-whoa!" She nearly lost her grip. Was he some kind of ninja?

"I told you to hang on."

"s-sorry." He sighed.

"It is alright. Just make sure you hang on tighter."

"Why is tha-AH!!" They were rocketing through trees at incredible speeds.

'This is incredible! I've only seen Jounin and ANBU Black Ops move this fast! What IS this guy??'

"Hello??"

"H-huh?"

"I asked you a question."

"O-oh…Could you repeat it?"

* * *

'I HATE repeating myself…' "I asked what your name was."

* * *

"I-Ino. Ino Yamanaka. What's yours."

"Unimportant." The girl now identified as Ino let out a soft giggle. 'Gentle laugh…almost like-STOP. FOCUS. She is distracting you.'

"But I must know the identity of my savior." 'Savoir?'

"…Vale."

"I've never heard that name before." 'Is it a false name?'

"Neither have I heard the name Ino."

"Oh." 'C'mon girl, keep him talking' She wondered what to ask. "Where…where are we going?"

"There is a Ninja village in this direction. I can assume that from your headband, the village is your home."

Ino nearly let out a small gasp. If he knew she was a ninja, did he know that she was just bait?

* * *

Vale felt her body tense up. "Are you alright? You've become tense."

* * *

'Shit! He noticed!' "J-j-just some pain." 'Atta girl! Good cover!'

"Hm. Very well then." 'Now get him talking again!'

"What are doing in these parts?"

"…"

"Vale?"

"I'm looking for aid as well."

"Huh? What do you mean?" 'Keep him talking, just a few more feet!'

"…Do not concern yourself with my welfare. Let us get you to the village before-"

"Wait."

* * *

He stopped on a branch. Her voice had changed dramatically. That time it had been strong, as if ordering him to stop. Then he heard something most unsettling.

A man's voice roared, "NOW, SHIKAMARU!!"

"**SHADOW POSSESION JUTSU!!**"

'What the devil?" Ino had leapt off his back and into the trees. He tried to turn around but... 'What the-I Can't move!'

"Capture success. Bringing him down." Vale felt his body move on its own. He jumped down from the branch and landed on the road below. At the same time, he heard two pairs of feet land behind him.

"Well done Ino, looks like we got him."

* * *

"Got me? What the…Oh…I see. Clever. Using my infernal mercy to your advantage. I suppose the Order didn't want to get their hands dirty in territory outside of their jurisdiction."

Shikamaru blinked. What the Hell was he talking about? "Who are the Order?"

"They Hired you, didn't they?"

* * *

"No." spoke a new voice. A man stepped out of the bushes holding a cigarette. "Now. About those bandits the other day and you're plans for the leaf village…care to share?"

"…" 'Bandits? Oh, I see…They must have squealed."

"Not talking, eh? Alright, I suppose Ibiki can take care of you." The man pressed a finger to his ear. "Choji!"

'Who?'

_Kssh. _"_Got it sensei!!_" Vale felt the earth begin to quiver under his feet.

"**HUMAN BOULDER!!"**

"WHAT!?" Coming down the road was a gigantic green ball of some sort. And it was barreling right. At. Him. Then the ball spoke.

"HA HA!! HERE'S COMIN AT YA, MONK!!"

"…_Monk_?"

* * *

Shikamaru blinked. His body was shaking. why was it-...Wait…there was just no way…'Is he…'

From behind Vale, Ino gasped. 'He's breaking Shikamaru's Jutsu!!'

Suddenly there was a bright flash of golden light. Shikamaru was sent flying back on his butt. "Oh man," he moaned, "What a drag." He looked up.

Vale had freed himself.

But he still wasn't moving. Choji was still barreling towards him and he wasn't moving.

Asuma's eyes were wide in shock. 'Impossible…he beat Shikamaru's Shadow Paralysis…But what is he doing??'

As Choji got closer, Vale lifted his leg..

"I. AM. NOT. A. _MONK_!!" His foot connected with Choji as he spun, keeping him in place, He suddenly dropped it, and propped it under the rolling ball of doom. With a quick jerk, Choji was now spinning several feet above the ground. Vale leapt up, brought his leg back and-WHAM!

Choji was sent flying through branches and trunks of trees, While Shikamaru, Ino, and Asuma stood in shock. Vale turned to face them. Ino Shivered. She could feel the killing intent leaking off him.

"Tell your masters that I am NOT going back. Not until I have what I need. If they try to stop me again, there will be _consequences_." And with that venomous statement, he took off into the trees.

"Shikamaru, Ino! Look after Choji!" Asuma barked as he whipped out his knuckle blades. "I'll take care of out friend."

"Right!" Shikamaru said and took off. Ino was still.

'…What are you looking for, Vale?' With that thought she gave chase. Shikamaru could take care of Choji.

She had questions for Vale.

* * *

Vale gave a short glance behind him. The smoking man what hot on his tail.

'Figures. I shouldn't use my powers…but I have no choice.' As he jumped, he clicked the heels of his boots together. **"GOLDEN GREAVES!" **Instantly, golden light twisted around his feet and solidified into armored metal plates that wrapped around his shins, crackling and smoking with a strange bright yellow steam. He leapt from another branch.

He was off like a rocket. The greaves multiplied his speed tenfold. He looked behind him as the Smoking man began to shrink.

'You lose again, Grand-'"GAAGH!!" He cried out as he felt his heart pound against his chest in response to the sudden spasm of pain. 'Dammit, not again! Not _now_!' He coughed and hacked into his glove. His lips caught something warm…copper-y…He pulled his glove back as he sailed through the air, his vision fading to black. 'No….No…'

'Mother….I've failed…'

He felt his legs hit a branch and then all he knew was black.

* * *

Asuma watched stunned as the boy suddenly began to cough. Then his eyes followed him as the Boy crashed into a branch, tumbling down through level after level of branches, until finally hitting the ground with a very hard thud. Asuma quickly landed next to him as the boys body begin to spasm. Blood covered the top of his tan robe. He looked back that the boys shins. The golden greaves were now shimmering in and out of existence, like a neon sign, until finally they vanished. Asuma sighed as he picked him up gently. As he lifted him, the boys hood slipped off. Asuma was surprised. The boy was young, his skin somewhat pale from being shaded from the sun for quite some time. His hair was a mess of black. But that's not what shocked him.

'He's just a boy…He can't be any older than Shikamaru. How the hell did he get so fast?'

THIS was gonna need some explaining.


	4. Chapter 3

Shizune opened the door to the single room where the new occupant slept softly in his bed. Her clipboard held close to her chest, she closed the door gently, making sure not make a noise to wake him.

She shouldn't even be here, but here curiosity had gotten the better of her.

Ever since Asuma's squad brought him back, the rumor mill had been spinning like crazy. According to some accounts, the boy was actually some sort of higher being, but somehow Asuma defeated him in combat. Meanwhile, other rumors were spreading saying that the boy had suddenly collapsed and surrendered, overwhelmed by Ino's beauty (It wasn't hard to guess who started that one.) A third rumor said that he had defeated the entire team, but then he spontaneously fell asleep.

But Shizune had to know….What did this kid look like?

If the majority of the rumors were true, he had beaten Shikamaru's Shadow Possession Jutsu and had kicked Choji into a tree. He had also nearly escaped Asuma, and Asuma was _fast_. But as she looked at the boy with the strange marks on his face, she couldn't help but wonder….

How could a kid, no older than his students outrun Asuma?

Shizune gave him a once over. His skin was pale, especially in contrast to the mess on dark hair on his head. He wasn't stocky, but he was slim. But not slim enough to outrun a jounin. She looked over to a chair next to his bed, where his clothes sat, neatly folded and cleaned. Did the symbols give him some sort of power? She shook her head as she dismissed the thought. That couldn't be right. She picked up the clipboard at the end of his bed.

According to this he was…

Her eyes became wide as what she was reading registered to her. Through her shock, Shizune was able to whisper out two words under her breath. "That's…Impossible…"

"No. Just Unexpected."

She twisted her head to look behind her. She had just enough time to notice the empty bed before she felt a hand chop the back of her neck as all went black.

* * *

Ino sighed softly as she entered to hospital. She hated the smell of this place. It didn't smell natural, like the flower store. It was too stale. But despite the smell, she walked up the front desk, a small trio of daises clutched in her hand.

"Hi, I'm here to see the boy who was brought in yesterday?" The woman at the desk simply glanced at clipboard as she filed her nails.

"Room 205. Second floor."

"Thank you!" Ino hollered as she walked away. As she walked up the stairs, her mind was at war.

'Why the heck am I doing this? It was a mission, I was doing my job! I shouldn't feel bad for deceiving him!'

'But you do.' Said her conscience as she arrived at the second floor landing and began to stroll down the hallway towards 'Just tell him you're sorry. You are after all.'

'I shouldn't be! It was my _mission _to deceive him! Why am I?'

She almost heard her conscience say in a sing-song voice, 'Because he was just looking for help.' Ino Sighed. This was too annoying to think about. She was here now, so she might as well drop by to say hi-

KA-_BOOOOOM_!!

The explosion rocked Ino to her core, the sound of shattering glass and twisting metal ringing in her head. She fell to the ground, the small cluster of flowers being blown away. She shook her head as the dust began to settle. "What the hell was that!?" She looked up to see that where the door to Vale's room had been, there was now a gaping hole the dust still settling in the sunlight. She got to her feet and looked in.

"Kami Al-_mighty_…"

The entire room was a mess. The bed was turned over against the right wall, the entire wall to the outside world had been obliterated, and stripes of paint had been torn from the walls. Exposed wires were sparking and fizzing in the opposite wall. She looked a the destruction, shocked. She could still feel the power hanging in the air. "Did Vale do this??" Then her ears caught a strange moaning. It was faint, but still audible. Ino recognized the voice. 'That sounds like…Miss Shizune!' "Hello? Shizune?"

"_Mfmfmflflfmfl_!" Ino strained her ears. For the first time in her life, she wished she had Kiba's stupid dog with her. What was its name? Rakadaru? Narakaku? Akamaru! That was it.

"_MFLFLFLFMFLLL!!"_

'Okay, that one was easier to track' That yell had definitely come from under the bed. She dashed over to it and tried to lift it. 'Damn…where's Choji when you need him!?' She dipped her head down to look under the bed. "Miss Shizune! Are you down there?"

"Mflflf!! Mflffl!!"

"Hang on I'll get help!" She jumped up and sped to the doorway. Or at this point it was just a hole. "Hey! Somebody help! Emergency down here!" Her ears caught the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching. She turned and saw a flash of pink down the hall, coming her way.

"Sakura!"

* * *

Vale rocketed over the rooftops, the Golden Greaves shining strongly on his legs. Unlike before, they were now complete and in their true form, instead of the partial boost he had tried to use to escape the smoking man. They were now a complete pair of large, armored, golden boots. His robes fluttered as he jumped along, the wind whistling loudly in his ears. To him, however, it was just noise.

'So…someone knows. This could make things difficult.' He thought as he shot along.

He was, of course, not so deep in thought as to not notice the shadows following him. He gave a light look back as they called out to him.

"STOP!" Shouted the one in the lead. She was a woman, judging by the sound of her voice. She wore a cat mask and her long purple hair flowed out behind her. "BY ORDER OF THE HOKAGE, YOU ARE UNDER ARREST!"

'Ninjas in black with grey armor and white masks.' Vale thought, remembering the description form an old man he had questioned about the village. 'So these are the infamous ANBU black ops.' His fist clenched. If one had looked closely, they would have sworn they could see steam with a golden tinge coming from his fist. 'I must be cautious with how I use my power. I may have just had a recharge, but I can't keep up this speed if I attack now.'

"I SAID, _STOP_!!"

Vale leapt to the side just tin time to avoid the barrage of knives that were intended for his legs. 'Damn…Look's like they're giving me no choice…' He zipped along the rooftops along the side of the rods until they met another at a 90 degree angle. He gave one last jump and funneled the energy from his feet to his hands. While his feet were now just normal black boots, his hands were now the center of a small spherical maelstrom of golden energy. He skidded to the stop in the middle of the road. The ANBU members quickly took positions to surround him on top of the nearby houses as bystanders muttered and gaped at what was unfolding in the small street.

"I offer you this warning, ANBU-" He said with a voice that seemed to echo around the streets, but was directed mainly at the lead woman who had perched herself directly in front of him on the roof of a small flower shop. "Cease this pointless pursuit and stand down. You have nothing to fear from me."

"Tell that to the boy you lodged in a tree." rebuked one of the larger male ANBU behind him.

"It was self-defense." Vale barked harshly at him before turning back to the woman, "And should you continue to obstruct my path, you will be _forcefully removed._ Now _stand down_." His voice was like a command, strong and harsh. But the ANBU paid no heed. The woman drew a katana and stood ready to defend herself. She only spoke one word that spoke volumes.

"Unlikely."

"Determined. How unfortunate. I have lost enough time as it is," he spoke as he brought his hands back, still swirling with the golden spheres. "I cannot be delayed any more!" He brought them forward with a roar. "**GOLDEN SHOT**!!" A beam of golden light shot forth from his hands The female ANBU jumped away just in time as the shot tore through the roof and upper wall of one of the rooms on the second floor of the flower shop.

Had she stayed another moment, she would have been disintegrated. Vale leapt off the ground and through the massive hole in the house and sped off. He reached for the bag at his side, feeling around before taking out a small piece off paper. Still running at top speed, and being pursued by the steadily gaining ANBU, he unfolded the paper and looked at the untidy drawing of a strange tower with a large circular symbol on it. One room on the top floor, with a view that could look out on the whole village, was circled in red. He looked up at the large looming building.

'It matches.' He threw the paper away and continued forward. 'You better be there…'

* * *

Ino looked down the hall at the pink shape that moved toward her. Sakura coughed as she emerged from the smoke and looked up, surprised at the friend before her.

"Ino?? What are you doing here?"

"I'll tell you later," Ino said, grabbing Sakura by the arm and pulling her into the room, "But right now, we need to get Shizune out form under the bed." Sakura looked around the room, amazed.

"What…what happened?"

"_MFLFLFMFMFFLFMFFL!!"_ Shizune's muffled yelling brought Sakura out of her shock.

"Come on, forehead! Let's go!" Ino barked as Sakura grabbed the edge of the bed alongside her.

Sakura grunted. "Oh can it and push, pig!" They both grunted as they slowly lifted the bed off of the poor assistant and flipped it upright. Sakura and Ino immediately knelt down next to Shizune as she coughed and held her throat.

"Sa…kura…"

"It's okay Shizune just breathe."

"That boy…" Shizune wheezed out, her breath ragged. "He's…"

* * *

Tsunade, Fifth Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, leaned back in her seat as she sipped a cup of sake. She hated all this paperwork. Especially this crap on that kid who had kicked Chouji into a tree. The same kid, in fact, who beat the living daylights out of the bandit troop.

What was the kid doing running around in a monk's robe anyway?

She was pulled out of her thoughts when the window behind her shattered. Instinct took over as she ducked, shards of glass bombarding her desk. She slowly got up and looked up, to see the silhouette of a boy in a robe against the sun.

'Is that….'

He spoke. "You are Tsunade?" she was shocked. The boy's voice was emotionless, yet at the same time fierce. It made you feel that you had to answer the question.

"Yes…and you are?"

The boy lifted his gloved hands to his hood and threw it back. She was shocked, to say the least.

The boy's skin was pale, which made his fierce brown eyes stand out even more under his dark hair. As he looked at her, she could feel a mixture of emotions behind those brown orbs.

One was pain. The pain of losing those closest to you.

Two was defiance. The sort of brazen defiance Naruto commonly showed.

And Third, and most disturbingly….was _fear_. What did he have to be afraid of? But before she could think any more into these emotions, he spoke again.

"My Name is Vale'dar Gorram. And I have a proposition for you."


End file.
